The Social Perception Experimentation (SPEx) Lab* is a research lab focused on
understanding how stereotypes impact the way we see other people, ourselves, and the world.
You can learn about our past, current, and future projects here.
Originally founded at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine,
the SPEx Lab now has a significantly more mountainous home at Fort Lewis College
in Durango, Colorado. In the years since the lab began, our research has been published in several peer-reviewed academic journals,
presented at dozens of regional and international academic conferences,
and discussed in some notable media outlets
(e.g., Psychology Today,
VICE,
Gizmodo,
and others).
Andy, Audrey, and Clay coding a UFC fight in the lab.
Occasionally, cute animals find their way into the lab too!
SPEx RAs doing some coding at home.
*We recognize the lab's acronym is a little bit of a reach,
but we really do hope our research helps people see these topics more clearly...
not unlike a nice pair of spectacles.
People
Select a secton below to navigate, then hover over/click on the photos for more detail.
DR. ALEX BORGELLA is the SPEx Lab's Principal Investigator (P.I.) and an assistant professor of psychology at Fort Lewis College. He received his B.A. in Psychology from the University of West Florida in Pensacola, FL,
his M.A. in Psychological Science from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA, and his Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology at Tufts University in Boston, MA, concentrating in social cognition and intergroup processes.
When not in the lab, he's usually either outside with his dog (an English Shepherd-ish pup named Maeby), hiking, mountain biking, writing music, coding, weightlifting, or playing his Nintendo Switch.
Lab Manager: Alexa Antonsen-Newman
ALEXA ANTONSEN-NEWMAN is the SPEx Lab Manager. A senior double-majoring in Criminology and Psychology and minoring in Gender and Sexuality Studies,
she's mostly interested in research in both social psychology and clinical psychology, and
hopes to enter a graduate program in one of these fields after she graduates.
Outside the lab, you can find Alexa skiing, reading, hanging out with friends, or snuggling up with her two cats.
Danika Brabec
DANIKA BRABEC (FLC '25)
Major (and Minor): Psychology and Writing (Honors)
Research Interests: Criminal psychology, abnormal psychology, and linguistics.
Hobbies: Cycling, reading, writing, and crocheting.
One boring fact about you: I have a leopard gecko named Hestia!
Autumn Harrison
AUTUMN HARRISON (FLC '25)
Major (and Minor): Psychology
Research Interests: Stereotyping and Prejudice, Self and Social Identity, & Psychosocial Effects of Fashion
Hobbies: I run, play basketball, work with clay, travel, and binge TV shows.
One boring fact about you: I love going to concerts!
Berkley Crouse
BERKLEY CROUSE (FLC '27)
Major (and Minor): Psychology and Criminal Justice (Sociology)
Research Interests: The psychology of criminal behavior
Hobbies: Reading and hanging out with my dogs!
One boring fact about you: I randomly became allergic to eggs after 18 years of eating them!
GISELLE MAEZ
GISELLE MAEZ (FLC '25)
Major (and Minor): Psychology (Studio Art)
Research Interests: The social psychology of relationships, anti-fat bias
Hobbies: Painting, crocheting, and sewing
One boring fact about you: I prefer room temperature water!
Tremon "T" Rice
T RICE (FLC '25)
Major (and Minor): Psychology
Research Interests: Health psychology and racial bias.
Hobbies: Sports, hiking, working out, and spending time with family and friends.
One boring fact about you: I could probably sleep all day if I had the chance!
Spring Smith-Hughes
SPRING SMITH-HUGHES (FLC '27)
Major (and Minor): Psychology (Gender & Sexuality Studies)
Research Interests: Sports psychology and anything involving gender and sexuality.
ROWAN FREEMAN
ROWAN FREEMAN (FLC '27)
Major (and Minor): Psychology (Business)
Research Interests: Social and Forensic Psychology.
Hobbies: Reading, drawing, and playing video games.
One boring fact about you: I like snakes :)
ROSALIE VOGEL
ROSALIE VOGEL (FLC '27)
Major (and Minor): Psychology
MIKALA CHEE
MIKALA CHEE (FLC '26)
Major (and Minor): Psychology (Criminology)
Research Interests: Literally anything!
Hobbies: Reading and playing volleyball!
One boring fact about you: Chihuahuas are probably my favorite dog breed!
Liam O'Shields, B.A.
LIAM O'SHIELDS, B.A. (FLC '24)
Liam is a post-bac research assistant in the SPEx Lab.
Solei Johnston, B.A., is currently an M.A. student in Media Communication at Colorado State University
ANNA DENALI, B.A.
Anna Denali, B.A., is currently an M.A. student in Experimental Psychology at Western Washington University
SHENAY ATENE, B.A.
Shenay Atene, B.A., is currently an M.A. student in Prevention Science at Kansas State University
MCKENNA FORD, B.A.
McKenna Ford, B.A. is currently hunting for a role in forensic psychology!
LUKE WEBER, B.A.
Luke Weber, B.A. is currently applying to graduate programs!
Research
Broadly, the SPEx Lab conducts psychological research on how stereotypes affect social perception and decision-making. We examine these issues among
both people who use stereotypes (i.e., everyone) and people who experience stereotypes in many different contexts.
Many of our projects concentrate on stereotypes about those with specific racial or ethnic group membership (e.g., Black or Indigenous people),
but we also investigate how stereotypes affect those with other stigmatized social identities (e.g., people with tattoos),
those with concealable stigmatized identities (e.g., atheists),
and those with multiple stigmatized identities (e.g., Latino women).
Most projects in the lab can be placed under one of the following umbrellas (click below for more information, lists of presentations, and links to publications):
Conversations about social biases (e.g., racism, sexism) can be difficult and anxiety-inducing,
especially when between members of social minority groups (e.g., racial minority groups, sexual/gender minority groups, people with obesity)
and majority groups. With this in mind, we research how members of these groups communicate with each other, exploring strategies that might help to reduce anxiety and facilitate these conversations.
One of these potential strategies that we have examined extensively in the SPEx Lab is how the use of identity-related humor (e.g., race-related jokes) may "buffer" anxiety during these interactions when used strategically,
leading to improved interpersonal perceptions as well as a reduction in prejudice toward members of the group targeted by the humor.
Relevant Publications and Presentations
Kadirvel, S., & Borgella, A.M., Fenton, J.L., & Maddox, K.B. (2022). Benign violations and perceptions of disparaging humor. Poster presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, San Francisco, CA.
Borgella, A.M. (2021) Allies on the edge: Humor, irony, and appropriation in fraught intergroup relations. Symposium discussant at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (digital).
Borgella, A. M. & Murphy, R. L. (2020). The role of women's weight, self-esteem, and body-esteem on their use of weight-related disparagement humor. Poster presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, New Orleans, LA.
Borgella, A. M., Carvalho, K., Hammer, C. K., & Bedard, T. (2019). "I'm going to say it before you can": Humorist weight and perceivers' reactions to weight-disparaging jokes. Poster presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Portland, OR.
Borgella, A.M. (2018) Investigating ideas: Humor in hard places. Symposium discussant at the Bates College "Investigating Ideas" symposium series, Lewiston, ME.
Borgella, A.M., & Maddox, K.B. (2018). The role of identity and humor in intergroup judgments. Poster presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Atlanta, GA.
Borgella, A.M., & Maddox, K.B. (2017). Do social identity and moral credentialing moderate the negative effects of disparagement humor? Poster presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society of Southeastern Social Psychologists, Atlantic Beach, FL.
Borgella, A.M., & Maddox, K.B. (2017). The effects of deprecating humor on intergroup interactions: A review. Poster presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, San Antonio, TX.
Much of the SPEx Lab's recent work has examined implicit biases (biases that exist without conscious awareness) and their effects on decision-making,
in both situations where decisions are measured and deliberate (e.g., in hiring, promotion, and retention decisions) and in
those that involve relatively dynamic, split-second reactions (e.g., in police-suspect interactions, among combat sports referees).
Relevant Publications and Presentations
Borgella, A.M., Siekman, C.D., Howard, S., & Maddox, K.B., (2024). Beaten to the punch: Implicit racial bias and disparities in UFC referees' decisions to end fights. Poster presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, San Diego, CA.
Shorty, A.S., & Borgella, A.M. (2024). Perceived "Karenhood": Ageism is curvilinear for White women in ambiguous social contexts. Poster presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, San Diego, CA.
Sprung, A.P., & Borgella, A.M. (2024).The weight of scrolling: How anti-fat bias in social media affects health-related behaviors. Poster presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, San Diego, CA.
Pflug, C.A., & Borgella, A.M. (2024). Good girl complex: The effects of benevolent sexism on women's physiological stress and likelihood of confrontation. Poster presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, San Diego, CA.
Borgella, A.M., Howard, S., Sanders, B.T., & Maddox, K.B. (2023). Race in the clinch: Exploring implicit racial bias in combat sports officiating. Poster presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Atlanta, GA.
Skees, K. N., & Borgella, A.M. (2023). The effects of political affiliation on perceptions of Native American sports mascots. Poster presented at the Annual Meeting of the Rocky Mountain Psychological Association, Albuquerque, NM.
Thompson, L. J., & Borgella, A.M. (2023). Does concealment moderate prejudice toward those with invisible disabilities? Poster presented at the Annual Meeting of the Rocky Mountain Psychological Association, Albuquerque, NM.
Wright, M.M., & Borgella, A.M. (2023). Does bias exist toward men in humanities disciplines? Poster presented at the Annual Meeting of the Rocky Mountain Psychological Association, Albuquerque, NM.
Semivan, A.E., & Borgella, A.M. (2023). When Attitudes Tank Interviews: The Influence of Self-esteem Threats on Bias in Hiring Decisions. Poster presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Atlanta, GA.
Borgella, A.M. & Koontz, S. (2022). Exploring Crime-related Prejudice toward Alaskan Natives in an Alaskan Sample. Poster presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, San Francisco, CA.
WITHIN-GROUP BIAS
Prejudice and discrimination certainly exists between racial groups (e.g., between White and Black Americans),
and over 100 years of psychological inquiry has been dedicated to understanding the cognitive, motivational, and social causes and consequences of these forms of bias.
However, significantly less work has been conducted on
(1) biases that exist within racial groups,
(2) how bias between racial groups is affected by whether or not someone is a "stereotypical" member of a stigmatized group,
and, correspondingly,
(3) differences in how members of the same racial group experience prejudice and discrimination depending on the salience of their racial identities
(e.g., how variations in skin tone impact prejudice toward Black, Hispanic, and Native Americans).
The SPEx Lab investigates these and other factors that might influence disparities
in the experience of prejudice within racial groups (e.g., how someone's name can affect perceptions of their racial affiliation).
Relevant Publications and Presentations
Stancampiano, V.K., Mitchell, A.R., & Borgella, A.M. (2023). Blood, not skin: Exploring intragroup phenotypicality bias related to skin tone in an Indigenous sample. Poster presented at the Annual Meeting of the Rocky Mountain Psychological Association, Albuquerque, NM.
Johnson, V. M., & Borgella, A.M. (2023). Exploring the role of intersectional stigma on LGBTQ+ members from racial minority groups' decisions to seek therapy. Poster presented at the Annual Meeting of the Rocky Mountain Psychological Association, Albuquerque, NM.
Stancampiano, V.K., Mitchell, A.R., & Borgella, A.M. (2023). Blood, not skin: Exploring intragroup phenotypicality bias related to skin tone in an Indigenous sample. Poster presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Atlanta, GA.
Borgella, A.M. & Maddox, K.B. (2017) Is scrutiny a moderator of racial phenotypicality bias in guilt judgments? Symposium discussant at the Annual Meeting of the Eastern Psychological Association, Boston, MA.
Borgella, A.M., Maddox, K.B., Sargent, M.J., Murray, M.P (2015). Full court pressure: Racial phenotypicality under scrutiny. Poster presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Long Beach, CA.
Aronson, R.K., Howard, S., Borgella, A.M. (2015). What's in a (Black) name: evaluations of African vs. African American Names. Poster presented at the Annual Meeting of the Eastern Psychological Association, Philadelphia, PA.
Borgella, A.M., Fenton, J.L., & Maddox, K.B. (2014) Exploring aversive racism as a moderator of racial phenotypicality bias in guilt judgments. Poster presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Austin, TX.
STEREOTYPES & PERFORMANCE
There have been many investigations into how awareness of stereotypes about one's own social group can impact subsequent performance in educational, athletic, and other domains,
regardless of whether those stereotypes are believed to be valid about one's self. The SPEx Lab has conducted several studies on this topic,
mostly related to how stereotype threat operates in understudied minority social groups (e.g., Native Americans, people with overweight or obesity) and those with intersectional minority social identities.
Williamson, A.S. & Borgella, A.M. (2024). Existence is Resistance: Land acknowledgments and stereotype threat in Indigenous students. Poster presented at the Annual Meeting of the Rocky Mountain Psychological Association, Denver, CO.
NEW PUBLICATION! Drs. Simon Howard and Alex Borgella have published a new article in The Journal of Social Psychology
exploring the role of stereotype threat on White peoples' rhythmic performance.
CONGRATULATIONS to Alexa Antonsen-Newman, Liam O'Shields, Giselle Maez, McKenna Ford, Luke Weber, and Caribeth Gundran
for presenting their senior capstone research at FLC's Undergraduate Research Symposium!
Gallery:
Alexa presents her Sociology capstone work.
Caribeth poses in front of her cool poster!
Liam talks to some interested folks about his capstone work.
McKenna talks about "pretty privilege", her capstone topic.
Luke talks about his capstone work (part of the Social Ethology Lab).
Giselle poses in front of her poster.
Caribeth discusses her project with Dr. Tidwell.
T and Luke posing for the camera!
McKenna posing for the camera!
Giselle emphatically ending the poster session!
NEW RESEARCH GRANT! Dr. Alex Borgella, Alexa Antonsen-Newman (SPEx Lab Manager, FLC '25) and Dr. Simon Howard (University of Miami) were awarded
the 2024 Mamie Phipps Clark Faculty Research Award from The American Psychological Association and Psi Chi: International Honor Society for Psychology!
This award will fully fund new research on how
text-to-image (t2i) generative AI representations of people of color impact well-being, self-esteem, and other psychosocial outcomes.
The award announcement!
NEW RESEARCH SUPPLY GRANT! Alexa Antonsen-Newman has been awarded a supply grant from FLC's Undergraduate Research Fund for her work on vicarious sexism!
Go Alexa!!!
GRADUATION! Audrey Shorty, Andy Sprung, Nick Heim, and Edelawit Hoag have earned their bachelors degrees in Psychology!
Gallery:
Left to Right: Aiden, Dr. B, Audrey, Andy, and Nick.
Proud advisor moment!
Andy and Edel.
Pre-photo adjustments.
Clarissa and Andy.
Andy and Clay.
Andy and Audrey.
...and Clarissa graduated in Winter!
CONGRATULATIONS to Audrey Shorty, Andy Sprung, Clarissa Pflug, Nick Heim, Edelawit Hoag, and SPEx Alum Emma Franklin (U. of Utah) for presenting their research at the Rocky Mountain Psychological Association's 2024 annual meeting in Denver!
Gallery:
Audrey gives a talk on the "Karen" stereotype.
Andy beaming with accomplishment!
A very happy Clarissa!
Emma talks about sexism and stealing thunder.
ACCEPTED! Clarissa Pflug has been accepted into the Counseling M.A. Program at the University of Arizona!
Clarissa at her new institution!
CONGRATULATIONS to Andy Sprung, Audrey Shorty, Kate Skees, and SPEx alum Abbey Semivan (U. of Arizona) for presenting their research at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology's 2024 annual meeting in San Diego!
Gallery:
Audrey right after putting up her poster on the intersection between sexism and ageism.
Andy talks about anti-fat bias in social media.
Kate standing proudly in front of her project on Native mascots and social conservatism.
Abbey explains her project to an interested fellow graduate student.
A FRIEND ON THE FORCE! SPEx Lab Alum Tory Stancampiano (FLC c/o '22) has passed the police academy and is now a Durango LEO!
Officer Tory in the news hunting counterfeit money!
2023
GRADUATION! Clarissa Pflug and Clay Siekman have earned their bachelors degrees in Psychology!
Clarissa and the FLC Clocktower.
CONGRATULATIONS to Clarissa Pflug, Audrey Shorty, and Andy Sprung for presenting their research at the 2023 FLC Undergraduate Research Symposium!
Gallery:
Clarissa explains benevolent sexism to a large group.
Audrey fields questions about the intersection of sexism and ageism.
Andy impresses FLC President Tom Stritikus with his research on anti-fat bias in social media.
NEW WORK FOR FALL! The Fall '23 SPEx Lab is in full swing, multitasking on a few different projects!
Alex leading one of our lab meetings!
Implicit Racial Bias in Combat Sports: The lab has now coded EVERY SINGLE bout in the UFC between a White and Black athlete or White and Latine athlete ending in a "stoppage" (KO or TKO)!
Tattoo Prejudice: Our very own Danika has spent countless hours meticulously coding the tattoos of every White, Black, or Latine fighter involved in an interracial bout!
Senior Capstone Work: SPEx Lab senior capstone projects are currently underway! This semester, project topics include benevolent sexism, Native American sports mascots, anti-fat bias, and gendered ageism. More soon!
THE SPEx LAB HAS STARTED OUR SUMMER RESEARCH!
Our RAs are hard at work coding data for our newest project investigating implicit biases among combat sports referees.
So far, we've compiled and sorted a list of every fight in the UFC, and we've moved on to watching (and meticulously coding) every single UFC fight ending in a KO or TKO.
Gallery:
Andy, Nick, and Edel getting ready to code a fight between Ronda Rousey and Amanda Nunes.
Liam during a coding session.
Andy and Clay expressing a range of emotions while coding a bout
between Glover Texiera and Anthony Smith.
Anthony Smith vs. Glover Texiera: a very fun fight!
CONGRATULATIONS to Kate Skees, Clay Siekman, Lexi Mitchell, and Abbey Semivan for presenting their projects at
The Rocky Mountain Psychological Association's 2023 Meeting in Albuquerque!
Gallery:
Kate, Lexi, and Abbey at a talk.
Kate's poster!
Clay fields some clinical psychology-related questions.
Lexi and her proud advisor!
Abbey and her poster!
CONGRATULATIONS to Abbey Semivan, Tory Stancampiano, and Lexi Mitchell for their presentations at
the Society for Personality and Social Psychology's 2023 Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia!
Gallery:
Tory and Lexi attracted a huge crowd at their poster!
Abbey's poster looked amazing!
Abbey fields questions from Dr. Keith Maddox (see the People section of this website).
Lexi and Tory in a comically oversized chair.
ACCEPTED! The future Dr. Abbey Semivan has been accepted into the Social Psychology Ph.D. Program at the University of Arizona!!
2022
CONGRATULATIONS to Kate Skees, Clay Siekman, Lexi Mitchell, and Tory Stancampiano for presenting their projects at
FLC's 2022 Undergraduate Research Symposium!
Gallery:
Kate explains her title.
A proud Clay!
A proud Tory and Lexi!
Media
The SPEx Lab's research has been featured in many popular media outlets.
Please check out the links below if you'd like to read more!
"Can People be Too Woke to Joke?"
"Why is Something Funny, and Why should we Care?"
"Inappropriate Laughter and What it Says about Your Brain"
"Why Do We Use Dark Humor to Deal with Terrifying Situations?"
"What's at the Root of Racial Stereotyping?"
"When Warning the World of Humanity's Greatest Threats, it Helps to Have a Sense of Humor"
"TV Writers Love to Pick on Tampa. What's their Deal?"
"The Science of Inappropriate Laughter"
"How to write a joke: A full guide to the perfect set-up and punchline."
"This is your Brain on Humor"
"Humor and Our Health"
"Why All of Your Jokes Fall Flat"
"When does racial humor turn from funny to offensive?"
"They came for the Comedians in Nazi Germany..."
"The Psychology Behind the Dark Humor of Hugleikur Dagsson"
Join the Lab!
The SPEx Lab is currently recruiting undergraduate students at Fort Lewis College. We are
especially interested in students in their first or second years in the psychology major.
If you are interested in applying, please contact Dr. Alex Borgella (SPExLab P.I.) at amborgella@fortlewis.edu
with your name, year, and a short blurb about who you are. We're looking forward to meeting you!
